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Saturday, March 20, 2010

ELF Mineral Eye Primer vs. Too Faced Shadow Insurance

For those who are not familiar, the purposes of eyeshadow primer are to prevent eyeshadow from creasing, act as a base to give eyeshadow something to adhere to (especially true with loose pigment and mineral eyeshadow) and also help color show up more vibrant. Eyeshadow primer normally comes in a creamy or cream to powder like consistency.

In this article, I will not only do a product review but also a comparison between two different eye primer, ELF Mineral Eye Primer (EMEP) versus Too Faced Shadow Insurance (TFSI). TFSI is a popular, higher end eye primer that has been around for quite some time and has built quite a reputation. Whereas, EMEP is a new comer and much more budget friendly. (Please note that ELF has two primers and this review is for the mineral one)

Packaging: TFSI is packaged in a squeeze tube. EMEP is in a tube with an applicator wand. Both are hygienic (compare to a jar) and practical but pretty design goes to TFSI. Also, EMEP lid crack on me after a month.

Texture: ELF primer is a cream to powder consistency. TFSI is creamier in comparison.

Performance: I’ll start with TFSI. Its creamy consistency makes it a good choice for people with dry eyelid. I also find that it leaves a very smooth finish. It does an exceptional job at keeping your eyeshadow intact. I have been caught in the rain (for 4 plus hours during a photo shoot) and another time, I took an afternoon nap and neither incident ruined my makeup.

As for the ELF Mineral Eye Primer, it does what a primer suppose to, as in prevent creasing and fading. I do like this primer. My only complaint would be the creamy to powdery finish can make my eyelid a bit dry and flaky. The good thing is that once you applied eyeshadow, it helps smooth out any flakiness. Also, since it has a powdery finish, it does not allow eyeshadow to adhere to the base as well when compare to TFSI.

Price: TFSI is $17/.35oz and EMEP is $3

Bottom line, if you can afford it then go with Too Faced Shadow Insurance, it is my pick. However, if you are looking for something more budget friendly then ELF Mineral Eye Primer is a good alternative.